Ange can axe "infectious" ace as Celtic become "serious contenders" for "massive" deal - opinion

Celtic midfielder Ben Doak is on the verge of sealing a move away from Parkhead.

That’s according to a report by The Scottish Sun, who claim that, despite Ange Postecoglou’s best efforts to convince the 16-year-old to remain at Celtic Park, the Scotland U17 international is now set to join Liverpool in a six-figure deal.

In recent comments made regarding the youngster’s potential departure, the 56-year-old Hoops boss said: “I’ve said all along that for me, this football club is everything that a young player should want. Particularly at the moment.

“I really want to bring young players into our first team and give them an opportunity as we have already. But they’ve got to be invested in our football club. They’ve got to want to be here and they’ve got to want to be here long-term.

“If they see their futures elsewhere or they’re not certain then I have total respect for that. Everyone has the right to make their own decisions. But I’m going to invest time and opportunity into the people who want to stay at our football club.”

While the impending departure of a player as talented as Doak will undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to Celtic, should Postecoglou go on to replace the 16-year-old with Bayern Munich’s Christopher Scott – with whom the Bhoys have been heavily linked – it would rather significantly ease the loss of the Scottish youth international.

Indeed, a recent report by the Daily Record revealed that, after the 19-year-old made it clear he would like to secure a move away from the German champions in a search for regular first-team football, Bayern are now set to trigger a one-year extension in the attacking midfielder’s contract – in order not to lose the teenager for nothing at the end of the current campaign.